Time
A TIME FOR EVERYTHING UNDER HEAVEN
There’s an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth:
A right time for birth and another for death, A right time to plant and another to reap,
A right time to kill and another to heal, A right time to destroy and another to construct,
A right time to cry and another to laugh, A right time to lament and another to cheer,
A right time to make love and another to abstain, A right time to embrace and another to part,
A right time to search and another to count your losses, A right time to hold on and another to let go,
A right time to rip out and another to mend, A right time to shut up and another to speak up,
A right time to love and another to hate, A right time to wage war and another to make peace.
But in the end, does it really make a difference what anyone does? True, God made everything beautiful in itself and in its time - but he’s left us in the dark, so we can never know what God is up to, whether he’s coming or going. I’ve also concluded that whatever God does, that’s the way it’s going to be, always. No addition, no subtraction. God’s done it and that’s it. That’s so we’ll quit asking questions and simply worship in holy fear. Whatever was, is. Whatever will be, is. That’s how it always is with God. I took another good look at what’s going on: The very place of judgment - corrupt! We all end up in the same place - we all came from dust, we all end up as dust. (Ecclesiastes 3 various verses from the Message Bible)
Today’s devotion is one we all are familiar with. As I was going through the 60s and 70s in college, this was a favorite of mine as recorded by the Byrds. But it is more than just a song, it is our song as a congregation of over 175 years as St. Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. We are approaching our last month of worship together. I want to share excerpts of a Lutheran pastor in closing a congregation.
Closing a Congregation as an Act of Faithfulness By Lee Ann M. Pomrenke
Minnesota Pastor Lee Ann Pomrenke reflects on the painful reality of having to bring a congregation or a ministry to an end. While there is a tendency to see closure as a failure and assign blame, she considers how closing a congregation can be an act of faithfulness and responsible stewardship that can open the way to new life. The 10-year-old mission start Pomrenke was serving was headed toward closing. It was a suburban congregation of mostly families and children surrounded by large churches of the same denomination. There were no elderly people, no building to sell, and few assets to disperse. The history they had to mourn and celebrate was relatively short, but deeply meaningful to those who remained. A more experienced interim pastor, who had closed two older, urban congregations, helped her see that while ours was not the usual story of a congregation closing, it still brought the heart of the matter into sharp focus: closing this ministry was not failure, it was a way of living faithfully. As your deacon, I experienced a long standing church existence faced with closure. Not something I planned on nor did our congregation.
Confession and Forgiveness Most church leadership resources focus on rethinking or kickstarting a ministry in decline. This desire easily translates into assigning blame when things don’t turn around. There is likely to be a bombardment of suggestions or strategies from “helpful” outsiders, especially when the ministry’s closing is made public. Anyone vaguely connected might ask, “Did you try this?” or “What went wrong?” And we at St Mark’s did this. Contemporary worship, more outreach, change in worship setting….. So, the first practice of faithfulness was confession and forgiveness. Church systems, much like families, are complex organisms. There is usually a web of interconnected causes and reactions amidst conflict. There are things everyone could have done differently in the past, but we can only respond to the present moment. We can each examine and confess our own thoughts and actions done or left undone. Then declare to each other, by the command of Christ, the entire forgiveness of all our sins. This is faithfulness.
Resurrection after Death We are resurrection people, but resurrection comes only after death. So, the death of a ministry requires a lot of faith in the promise of resurrection. The story that resonated deeply was that of the women at the end of Mark’s Gospel, who knew the power of Jesus and his promise of the resurrection, yet still fled the empty tomb in fear. They were emotionally exhausted and couldn’t yet see what resurrection could look like for them. Maybe no one would believe the power of Christ they had experienced in this community because of the ending. We also read John’s account of Mary Magdalene weeping in the garden, but finally recognizing Jesus when he called her by name. This was the most crucial task of the tight-knit group, who could call each other by name and thereby reveal Jesus still alive and well in their midst. Their relationships are proof that Jesus foils death and brings new life, however unrecognizable it is at first. But nobody has been abandoned. Closing is not an indication that God has abandoned us or that we have abandoned God. Scripture bears witness to this, certainly, but so does our experience. When we are most bereaved, troubled, or feeling like failures, the Holy Spirit opens us to new possibilities. That’s a terrifying unknown, but one deeply rooted in God’s great faithfulness and commitment to us.
Faithful Stewardship When the number of people dwindles, and their energy and resources start to run out, the tendency is to continually try to stretch them, even to the breaking point. But redirecting their passions and resources into a ministry that can use them well is an expression of faithful stewardship. The story to be told was not that we were closing because money had run out but rather because we had discerned, with God’s help, that it would be more faithful to direct those resources into different ministries. God was calling us to more faithful stewardship. When closing a long-lived congregation that peaked decades ago, it can be helpful to talk about the life cycle of congregations, along the lines of Ecclesiastes 3. For everything there is a season. Whenever a congregation or ministry decides to close, consolidate, or partner with another ministry, those within and surrounding the congregation are called to be faithful to the Holy Spirit’s work through them, even in closing.
Our Prayer Today: Almighty God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, console us in this transitional time. Assure us of your walk with us together. Help us find new congregations to call our homes and let St Mark’s continue to always be remembered for what it was, what it is, and what its legacy will become. Amen.
Blessings today, Deacon Nancy Trimble
